Problem with Reloading .45's

[jonnyink]

So, I'm extremely new to reloading. Upon my first endeavor in reloading, I've had a re-occurring problem with the .45 rounds.

So I would follow the SOP for reloading. I was using virgin, never fired brass. Once I inserted and pressed the .45 round into the casing, a slight bump was visible on the casing. I put the completely round into my 1911, but when I tried to eject the round, my slide was all but impossible to move. Finally I got it out.

I talked to a local gun shop, and after much conversation, the only answer we could come with was the fact I was using .452 diameter projectiles, not .451. Would it make THAT much of a difference??

Please keep in mind that I'm EXTERMLY new to reloading, and forgive my ignorance to anything I might have missed.

Thanks,
Jonnyink

[Skip Sackett]

Pictures please.
I think your OAL is too long and the bullet is getting stuck in the lands, but, this is like trying to do brain surgery in the dark without pictures.

[Fishinfool]

When combining a tight sizing die with thick brass and a slightly over sized bullet, it is common to see a slight bump at the base of the bullet. Normally, this does not hurt anything. It is possible you have an extremely tight match chamber that is causing the problem, but it is more likely the cartridge is slightly longer then it should be, as noted above, especially if a 45c profile bullet is being used. Pics would help.

Larry

[mkk41]

.452 dia is perfect for plain lead bullets. .451 is the norm for jacketed bullets.

Due to variation between brands in case wall thickness , resizing die for handloading usually size the cases OD a bit smaller than necessary. That is why there is an expander plug. A slight bump on the outside near the bullets base is perfectly normal.

I'd check seating depth , make sure the front edge of the bullet isn't engaging the rifling. Then check the case mouth. Most seating dies have a taper crimp band to close the case mouth after flaring and seating the bullet. Ya want it turned slightly into the bullet. A slight flare , only enough to start the bullet without shaving any lead , is all that's needed.

[novalty]

What is the OAL of your loaded round? Did you try the "plunk" test, to see how well the round fit in your barrel? I know the Lyman 49th Edition shows 1.275" max OAL for 230 gr. round ball, but found 1.265" functions better in my S&W 1911.

[Cdog]

A picture's worth a thousand words.

As above, most beginners over expand the case mouth. This can make seating easy, but it ain't good for the brass, nor does it help with when you're trying to apply a neat taper crimp.

Remember the ACP headspaces off the case mouth, so with a proper amount of mouth expansion it will make applying what should be a mere removal of the expansion done in your previous step.

.452's can be a challenge in tight match chambers, but usually only cause a failure to reach full battery.

Pics would make it easier for us.

Also, you may want to remove your barrel so you can drop the rounds in and get a better idea of what's going on.

[Maximumbob54]

I agree with all of the above on you need to post pics.

Without pics all I can think is the bullet is too far out or not enough taper crimp.

[fatman73]

I havent been doing this that long either. seems like your too long i was all concerned about coal but i find it's not a big deal. Unless your loading real hot i load a missouri 200 grain bullet that i have to seat to 1.19 to function in my gun. You didn't say what you were loading bullet profile has alot to do with it. have fun be safe

[Maximumbob54]

Oh, and if you aren't pulling your barrel to test fit your loads then you need to stop everything and do that. Case gauges are nice but your gun's barrel is what they need to fit.

[Skip Sackett]

Originally Posted by Maximumbob54

I agree with all of the above on you need to post pics.

Without pics all I can think is the bullet is too far out or not enough taper crimp.

Originally Posted by Maximumbob54

Oh, and if you aren't pulling your barrel to test fit your loads then you need to stop everything and do that. Case gauges are nice but your gun's barrel is what they need to fit.

Well, I will post some pictures to help you figure out if you are having this problem or not.
Notice how the round in the picture headspaces and where the base of the case ends up:

[Nevada Ed]

Option #2
If the gun is used, it may have a worn or damaged extractor
that is not grabbing the case enough to pull it from the chamber.

Good luck solving the problem.

[Maximumbob54]

Skip, that is the best picture for that I've ever seen.

[Bello]

Which 1911 are you using? Is it the factory barrel?

[jonnyink]

Thanks for all the advice thus far. However, as sad as it is, I'm not to adept with computers. I have no idea how to upload pictures... ha.

And @bello - Its nothing fancy, just a Kahr U.S. Army Ordnance model. Something I picked up for just for fun. The problem is, when I tried inserting the reloaded round into an H&K U.S.P. as well as a Kimber, the same problem arose with the slide stiff.

going back to my first statement, if someone wouldn't mind telling me how to add a picture, that would be amazing.

Thanks,
Jonnyink

[Skip Sackett]

Originally Posted by Maximumbob54

Skip, that is the best picture for that I've ever seen.

I got it from fred338 (?) or somewhere. Yeah, it is a good one.

[Alk8944]

jonnyink,

If factory ammunition chambers and extracts freely then the problem lies with your handloads. If it doesn't then the fault in in the barrel, but this is unlikely.

There are two things which will cause the problem as you describe it. First is the bullet is seated too long and is jamming into the throat of the barrel. Solution, seat the bullets slightly deeper until they drop freely into the chamber with a clear and distinct "plunk", hence the plunk test. The cartridge must then freely fall from the chamber when the barrel is turned muzzle up.

The second thin that will cause your problem is leaving a flare on the cases after seating. You need to crimp all handgun ammunition. The "Taper crimp" for automatic pistol cartridges needs to be a few thousandths of an ince smaller than the outside dimension of the cartridge case over the seated bullet. .oo5" if sufficient. This applies whether you are using jacketed or cast bullets.

There is no way to adjust either the LOA or crimp correctly if the other is causing the problem, or it could be both. Start by seating to book maximum OAL then crimp one cartridge and see if it passes the plunk test. If it does then everything is fine. If not try to measure how much the cartridge sticks out of the chamber by using Skip Sackett's pictures. Seat the next bullet that much deeper and crimp. Try the plunk test again. Repeat as necessary until everything works right, then load all ammunition with this bullet to this LOA and everything should be fine.

[WR Moore]

I expect that the pistol in question is a Kahr Auto Ordnance. The US Army didn't have anything to do with it. Does factory ammunition pass the "plunk test"?

In addition to what's been said above, read the directions on how to adjust your seating die several times and make sure you've properly set it. It's generally been found that taper crimping is best done as a separate step, rather than as part of the seating operation. This is particularly true with lead bullets.

If you are taper crimping as a separate step, a quick and dirty way to set the die is to use a factory round to establish the proper crimp. Just run the crimp die down until it stops on the factory round and lock the adjustment there. BTW, a separate taper crimp dies is relatively cheap.

[iouri]

My 45's do have a "hump" on them but they chamber and extract just fine. First I've made sure they seated to proper depth then I've kept lowering crimping die till my cartridges fall in and out of my barrel without any effort. FWIW.

[jonnyink]

Ok so pictures aren't coming clear at all.
I just don't knot what the issue is. They aren't seating right, they catching and not allowing the slide to return to battery at all. If the bullet doesn't go in completely (which is quite often), the bullet makes the slide so bloody hard to get out of the chamber, its takes two hands and a lot of determination to get it out.

Its really beginning to drive me nuts. The 9mm works just great, but these .45's aren't working for anything. I've tried adjusting OAL, everything suggested, but nothings working. I don't know what to do. I've made close to 75 rounds, all failed. I'm at a loss.

Jonnyink

[venomballistics]

seating a bullet shoves it into the case.
crimping a round holds the seated bullet by putting a squeeze on it.
think about that a little and you'll realize they can fight.
try backing off the seating punch and send your complete rounds through for a little better crimp ... betcha it fixes the batch

in the future, just seat the bullet to proper depth with no crimp and send em all through again for a crimp in a separate step.

you could also get a separate micrometer seating die so you dont have to mess with settings while using your current seat / crimp die just for giving em a hug

[mtgianni]

Take a dial caliper and measure the over all length of the cartridge you loaded. [OAL] Look in the manual you got your loads from and it should specify OAL of that bullet. If yours is longer it may be too long. You cannot size to fit your bbl if you cannot measure what you have. ANother possibility is that your bullets are a differnt style than what your manual says, SWC vs RN and they are impacting on the bbl lands in which case they will need to be set deeper.

[cp1969]

Take the barrel out of the gun and test fit the cartridges in it. Don't test fit cartridges in an assembled gun--not a good idea.

[arjay]

1.the round is too long
or
2.you need more crimp